Owen Wilson signs Farrellys' 'Hall Pass'

New Line picks up the extramarital comedy from Fox

New Line has picked up the Farrelly brothers comedy "Hall Pass" from turnaround from Fox, signing up Owen Wilson to topline the picture. Jason Sudeikis is also in negotiations to co-star.

The story centers on a married couple who find themselves in a lull in their marriage and just going through the motions. The wife then gives her husband (Wilson) a "hall pass," a free ticket to engage in extramarital encounters. Sudeikis would play the guy's best friend, who also gets a free pass.

Pete Jones wrote the spec, which was rewritten by Kevin Barnett and Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the latter of whom are directing. The Farrellys are also producing with their Conundrum Entertainment partner Bradley Thomas.

The movie begins production Feb. 23 in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the Farrellys' "Three Stooges" project at MGM got a little boost with news that Sean Penn may be back on the project to play Larry. The Boston Herald quoted Bobby Farrelly on Tuesday as saying, "We got him back," after Penn's self-imposed hiatus in June to work on family issues. Of course, Curly is still uncast and MGM's ownership is up in the air, so the film is far from greenlighted.

Wilson, repped by UTA, is shooting "Little Fockers" for Universal, and Sudeikis, repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment, is a fixture on "Saturday Night Live" and will appear on the big screen in "Bounty Hunter" with Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston.